Stratford pub The Bull reopens with new landlord after £120,000 refurbishment

A STRATFORD pub has been given a £120,000 refurbishment and reopened in time for Christmas.

The Bull in Old Town, which has had a bit of stop-start trading history of late, was most recently El Toro tapas, bar but that venture closed earlier this year.

The pub’s owners Everards, which has owned the pub since September 2023, has announced the landlord is Tom Deacon, who has spent the last 17 years at another Everards pub in Leicestershire.

Alan, who took over in August, said: “I knew Stratford was a lovely place anyway, and as soon as I came to have a look at the site and I had a walk around the town, I fell in love with the place."

The Bull has been given a new colour scheme, new furniture, upgraded kitchen equipment and an increased hand pull selection.

He added: “I love how the pub looks now and the customers are really pleased with the changes. They really like the cosy feel of the place and the comfy new seating that’s been added.”

Tom said he has plans to enhance the offering for the Stratford community, with regular quiz nights and open mic nights among the events scheduled for the new year. He’s also planning to expand the food menu with specials set to be available soon.

Everards’ MD Andy Wilson said: “When we came here, it was quite cold and we knew we needed a business owner here who is into their community, which Tom is. We thought we’d let him get settled in, then see what he wanted to do with the pub – and that’s what we’ve done.

“We’ve still got some investment to do, like improving the garden at the back. We’ve done part one, and that will be part two.”